Google adds a fact check tool to its search results

Google has added a fact check tool to its search results. This tool will be highlighting articles in its search and news results which have been fact checked.

This means when a search query returns a result that has been reviewed, Google will display who made the claim and if a third party organization has found it to be true, false or somewhere in between.

Notably, Google will be using services from independent fact-checking organizations like PolitiFact and Snopes to provide the info instead of working on this fact-checking itself. The fact check snippet will also come along with a link for users to provide feedback in case they think something is wrong.

The information won’t be available for every search. Google emphasised the fact that it was not checking the facts and are “presented so people can make more informed judgements.”

“Even though differing conclusions may be presented, we think it’s still helpful for people to understand the degree of consensus around a particular claim and have clear information on which sources agree,” Google explained in a blog post.

The feature was built by Jigsaw, a think tank/ideas lab owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet. It was earlier available in certain countries in Google News .Now the feature is being rolled out globally, in both Google News and the main Google Search.

It was not very long ago that Facebook added warning label to stories that contain questionable information. These stories appear in its news feed as “disputed” along with a link to a third party fact checking site.